Number 5. September 2014

World Tourism Organization

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Statutory MeetingsAs approved at the 97th session of the Executive Council, held in Zambia in August 2013, the 98th session took place in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on 4-6 June.

During the session, special mention was made of the contribution of tourism routes in fostering regional integration and development. The Council also discussed some key factors that stimulate the growth of tourism, including visa facilitation and air connectivity, in addition to recalling the role tourism can play in the sustainable development agenda.

In the context of the 57th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas, the International Forum on Sustainable Development of Tourism and Innovation was held, as well as the Affiliate Members Programme Seminar on Public-Private Partnership: Specialization in the Configuration of Tourism Products, which took place in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on 23-26 June.

These three events were highly successful. The statutory meeting was characterized by the active participation of the delegations present, and their statements are reflected in the decisions drafted subsequent to the meeting.

Carlos VogelerDirector - Executive Director of

Member Relations and Regional Director for the Americas

Following the recent meeting of the Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) in Cartagena de Indias, it is a pleasure to address you again to present the fifth issue of the UNWTO Americas Newsletter, where we keep you abreast of the latest statutory meetings and other events, and invite you to upcoming gatherings.

I wish to take this opportunity to express, on behalf of the UNWTO, our gratitude to the Government of Colombia, Chair of the Commission and host of the statutory meeting and the events held in its context, for the excellent organization and impeccable reception accorded to us during our stay in the beautiful city of Cartagena de Indias.

Likewise, we appreciate your support and interest in this annual meeting where we had the opportunity to take stock of tourism in the region and to combine our efforts to develop it through tourism.

We also wish to invite you to the official celebrations of del World Tourism Day (WTD), which will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, on 27 September, with the theme Tourism and Community Development. We await you in Guadalajara.

Message from the Director

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Recent ActivitiesWorld Tourism DayAs on every 27 September, the tourism industry is preparing to celebrate World Tourism Day.

This year the official celebration will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, under the theme: Tourism and Community Development thus encouraging discussion about the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).

On the part of the UNWTO, we wish to invite all tourism actors and host communities to gather together and celebrate this day as a symbol of our common efforts to make tourism a true pillar of community development and to convert the latter into the basis of a more sustainable tourism sector.

3rd UN International Conference on Small Island Developing StatesIn 1992, the vulnerability of small island developing states (SIDS) was recognized for the first time at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, support at the national, regional and international levels has continued, covering many different areas of action, such as climate change, sea level rise, communication, transportation, etc.

2014 is proving to be a very significant year in this regard, with small islands coming to the forefront for two reasons: aside from being declared by the UN General Assembly, in resolution 21 of December 2012, as the International Year of Small Island Developing States, the 3rd UN International Conference on SIDS took also place on 1-4 September in Apia, Samoa.

The UNWTO gathered together the relevant actors of these island states at the Conference in order to work together through tourism towards the sustainable development of such states. Read more+

The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, who made a commitment to support the sector and to take on new challenges, received the Open Letter from UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai and from the President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), David Scowsill, last 18 June in a private meeting. (Photo: www.sernatur.cl)

On 9 June, the Ministers of the Caribbean Community, accompanied by Spanish tourism authorities, were welcomed at UNWTO Headquarters by Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

The visit came on the occasion of the holding of the seminar Tourism: Innovative Practices for the Caribbean Region, which took place in Toledo on 9-14 June, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain.

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Training

The UNWTO International Course on Excellence in Human Resources Management: Inclusion and Tourism Employment, was held in Paraná, Argentina, on 8-13 June.

The course, which was organized by the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina and the UNWTO.Themis Foundation, gathered together for five days participants from Argentina as well as from other countries of Latin America.

Subjects such as the Tourism Labour Market, Social Inclusion and Tourism Employment, Strategies for Labour Market Integration, and Improving Quality in Employment, among others, were presented and explained by national and international experts. Numerous officials representing the 3 organizing institutions were present at the event along with representatives of other sectors.

After days of intense work, the participants had the opportunity to go on a catamaran cruise along the Paraná river to conclude the event.

Other courses in the region:

UNWTO Course on Tourism Competitiveness: Planning for the Sustainable Development of Communities, 27-31 October 2014, Puebla, Mexico.

International Conference on Religious Heritage and Tourism: Types, Trends and Challenges27 November | Elche, Spain 3rd Global Summit on City Tourism: New Paradigms in the Development of Urban Tourism9-10 December | Barcelona, Spain 4th UNWTO International Conference on Tourism and Media 15-16 December | Cuenca, Ecuador

EventsUN Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS)1-4 September | Apia, SamoaWTTC Americas Summit10-11 September | Lima, Peru1st UNWTO International Congress on Tourism and Pilgrimages18-20 September | Santiago de Compostela, Spain20th World Routes Development Forum20-23 September | Chicago, Illinois, United StatesWMTC 2014: 7th World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress 20-24 September | Washington D.C., United StatesWorld Youth and Student Travel Conference23-26 September | Dublin, IrelandABAV 2014 – Tourism Fair of the Americas24-28 September | Sao Paulo, BrazilFITE 2014 - 12th edition of the International Tourism Fair in Ecuador25-28 September | Guayaquil, EcuadorWorld Tourism Day 2014: Tourism and Community Development 27 September | Guadalajara, Mexico99th session of the UNWTO Executive Council1-3 October | Samarkand, UzbekistanWorld Social Tourism Congress 20147-10 October | Sao Paulo, Brazil2nd International Seminar on Regional Tourism: Moving towards a Regional TSA approach9-10 October | Venice, Italy UNWTO/ICAO Aviation and Tourism Ministers Meeting14-15 October | SeychellesInternational Conference on Managing Seasonality in Tourism19-20 October | Tirana, AlbaniaDestinations for All Summit19-22 October | Montreal, CanadaFIT 2014 – International Tourism Fair of Latin America25-28 October | Buenos Aires, ArgentinaGlobal Tourism Economy Forum27-29 October | Macao, ChinaInternational Tourism Fair of Venezuela (FITVEN) 201426-30 November | Barinas, VenezuelaWorld Travel Market (WTM 2014)3-6 November | London, United Kingdom8th UNWTO & WTM Ministerial Summit4 November | London, United KingdomUNWTO Silk Road Social Media Event5 November | London, United KingdomEuropean Conference on Accessible Tourism19-20 November | San MarinoThe Atlantic Initiative for Tourism 201425-27 November | Rabat, Morocco

Regional Programme for the Americas:Carlos Vogeler, Alejandro Varela, Daniela Urcuyo, Esther Ruiz

E-mail: cam@unwto.org

Design: Alberto G. Uceda

www.unwto.org

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Tourism Stories: How Tourism Enriched My Life was created to remind us of the heartbeats behind the tourism statistics—the fundamental difference that our sector makes, every day, for not just the billion travellers crossing borders, but the hundreds of millions of people who welcome these travellers into their nations.

Indigenous peoples in the Americas

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Publications

In Latin America, there are currently more than 600 indigenous peoples ranging from Patagonia to Northern Mexico. In countries like Bolivia or Guatemala, indigenous people make up the majority of the population.

These groups, despite their ancestral wealth in the form of history, art, culture and language, which contributes to the heritage of humanity, are victims of marginalization and discrimination and find themselves in a disadvantaged situation that prevents them from fully exercising their rights.

The International Day of Indigenous Peoples was established by the UN General Assembly on 23 December 1994 in its resolution A/RES/49/214, whereby it decided to celebrate it on 9 August of each year during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995-2004). In 2004, the Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade from 2005 to 2014, under the theme A Decade for Action and Dignity.

The First World Conference on Indigenous Peoples will take place on 22 and 23 September 2014, at the UN Headquarters in New York.

It is our duty to make their voices heard and their rights respected. Read More+